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Friday, 31 August 2012

On holiday in the West Country earlier this month, one dull and gloomy day we crossed the water to Fowey by the short ferry crossing from Bodinnick to be met by brightly coloured random pieces of knitting and crochet wrapped round posts and pillars along the harbour front - Fowey had been yarn bombed!

We never did discover why at the time......

And if I hadnt have read this post a few months ago by Kristen at Cozy Things I would never have known what it was!

When we got home we found the reason why - it appears to have been in honour of the Fowey Royal Regatta which we sadly missed, as it took place the week after we'd come home.

The Regatta has been held since the days of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert who attended it in their day, as has the Queen.

The Official Tourism Website for Fowey and the Fowey Estuary at www.fowey.co.uk describe the event.....

For one week each August the usually tranquil town of Fowey attracts thousands of visitors who flock there for the Fowey Royal Regatta, one of Britain’s premier sailing events. It is also a fun-filled week for all the family – sailors and landlubbers alike.

One of the highlights is always an amazing display over the harbour by the Red Arrows who have been making an annual appearance at the regatta for over 30 years. Other main events include the Carnival with a colourful parade of floats, walkers in fancy dress and marching bands, a fantastic firework displays over the river, live music on the Town Quay, and of course racing on the water every day – not only the serious stuff, but raft and gig racing as well.

Over the many years the Regatta has been running, the regatta has attracted many visitors, including Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and Queen Elizabeth II and is recommended as a must see event by Debrett’s, the authority on all matters of taste. Fowey’s location, perched above a magnificent harbour, provides a natural arena to watch the sailing from and in the town’s winding old streets you’ll find plenty of activities to entertain. There’s the traditional crowning of the carnival queen followed by the floral dance, you can compete in the crab catching and swimming competitions, experience the giant pasty ceremony, get caught up in the exuberance of the carnival, watch the magical torch light dinghy procession on the water and spend the evenings on the harbour listening to performances ranging from The Last Night of the Proms to rock.

Tuesday, 28 August 2012

The image above is how I would like to finish the cupboards and shelves in the study, which are currently a dark, gloomy oak colour - what a transformation that would be!

My paintbrush has already been put to good (but boring) use since returning from holiday, having started on painting the exterior window frames ready for winter.

I'm just painting the sills thankfully, not the whole frames, as they bear the brunt of the weather, both the sun and the rain, and many of ours are now showing signs of flaking and peeling.

The long weekend saw me dodging the rain whilst sanding, filling, and undercoating, and this is certainly not the type of painting I particularly enjoy - no exciting and dramatic end result to keep me going, as it is merely renewing the existing soft matt black paintwork, but at least there is the satisfaction of it looking smart and, most importantly, weatherproofed to last a few more winters.

Maybe next time it needs doing I can persuade my husband to have all the external woodwork painted a softer colour, a pale country blue/green/grey perhaps, which would look good against the white walls. Black is so harsh and not my choice, but was here when we moved, and there are too many other calls on our time and money than to have all the external woodwork re-painted.

In the meantime, working outside today in the sun the paint dries virtually as I brush it on, and my thoughts turn to more exciting decorating projects, to indoors and the on-going decorating I have yet to finish before starting anything new.

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The sitting room, started early in summer with long days spent preparing and painting, but then sadly abandoned as other things took over.

The kitchen, started late last year and abandoned due to Christmas and never picked up since.

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These are my current WIPs, and those of you who know me a little through my blog will know that I am a great starter, full of enthusiasm and action whilst I can, but sadly not so good at finding the incentive to pick it up again and finish.

So these images are here to inspire both me and you to tackle those unfinished painting projects now that the weather slowly turns more autumnal, and the desire to spend time outside wanes, and thoughts focus inside the house rather than outside in the garden.

decorating with a restrained palette of white and raspberry pink, with matching fabric and wallpaper, creating a fresh and pretty room - less is more?

pale and interesting, this restful bedroom has all the simple country elements of painted floorboards and rag rugs and plain furniture - pale = restful not dull

I love the bright touches of turquoise in this dining room - and so easy to change the colour when you want a change

another simple country bedroom, with a little zing added in the form of the powder blue bedside cupboard - it doesnt take much to create some impact, just some bold paint or a bold fabric

understated elegance with bold pink/lilac walls providing the interest - with a natural wood floor and neutral but elegant furniture, it would be so simple to change the look and feel of a room with just a new coat of paint

lots of colour here! No restraint, and a cheerful mix of colour and patterns - more is more!!!

So tell me, what decorating projects have you got planned for the autumn?

Or are you stuck in the middle of painting a room too, and trying to find the incentive to get back on with it?

Do please share with us your current decorating exploits, it would be great to hear what you are working on at the moment!

I hope these images from Vintage Home Tumblr help motivate and inspire you to go forth and decorate!

If you are hungry for yet more lovely images and further inspiration, pop over to my Pinterest boards where there are lots more interior design and decorating ideas!

Edited on 29th August to add:Madelief has just informed me that the last few photos are of rooms in a wonderful B&B in Holland called Bed of Flowers (I found them via Vintage Home Tumblr) and I have since found a good post showing more lovely rooms from this house here on Decor8blog.They are really well worth a look, such clear beautiful colours used in a simple unfussy way, and seeing more of this lovely B&B has decided me that when I next travel through Holland I must stay there - gorgeous!

Click here to see their own website and more amazing photos!Thanks for the information Madelief!

(We last toured through Holland with our daughter a few years ago (our second time), travelling right up the west side via Middelburg, Delft, up to Volendam, across the Ijseelmer and back down visiting Groningen, Apeldoorn and many other places en route - it was a wonderful trip, and the Dutch people were so friendly!)